By Hussein Hamid
“The people who live in the kampongs in Bagan Pinang are so very poor, Hussein. They have simple homes, and live simple lives. And they are fine people: friendly, happy, simple, good. It is a shame that despite the fact that their own kind are in power, their lot hasn’t changed”.
“If they hated our (the non malays) guts, I’d not be surprised. I might too, given that I had bumiputera status, and I had less than the bangsa asing that live next door! Sigh, things are so wrong here lah, I wouldn’t know how to change them – there’s so much to do.”
“We’re silenced by the parties that are supposed to represent us (mic, mca, gerakan, and other impotent idiots), so most will be behind Pakatan”.
“I think if we took the government, their slogans and their so-called advice out of the equation, we’d all get along fine! It’s with their help that we have these feelings that we’re not getting enough, or being bullied out of our rightful place! It’s all too stupid”.
This was what I was told when I inquired of a friend living in Bagan Pinang as to what was Bagan Pinang like. That in a nutshell is the situation in Bagan Pinang – if we take the ‘postal votes’ factor out of the equation.
But since when have the wants’s of the people been of concern to UMNO? All that matters to UMNO is how do we stop the rot. How do we stop losing to Pakatan Rakyat?
WE MUST WIN IN BAGAN PINANG !
Win at all costs. If we are not willing to cheat, then we don’t want to win bad enough. Isa gives us the best chance of winning.
Has UMNO come to this?
The coming of the 2008 election was the dawn of a new era for all Political parties in Malaysia – a BRAN NEU DAY – as they say down here.
Pakatan Rakyat was handed a victory that till today they are trying to come to terms with. An assortment of political parties joined together to give the Rakyat an alternative, any alternative, to UMNO and Barisan Nasional. The voters considered the election a referendum on whether they wanted Barisan Nasional or Pakatan Rakyat. That and that alone decided who won what seats.
The Malays were asked to vote UMNO so that their rights would be protected. The Malays decided that their right would be protected better by Pakatan Rakyat then by UMNO. The Malays decided that after 50 years UMNO have done more for UMNO then for the Malays. We go to where we are cared for – maybe Pakatan Rakyat will deliver. We will hold them to their promise to us.
In their unseemly haste to position themselves in position of power factions in UMNO decided that they no longer wanted Abdullah Badawi as their President. Rather then be pushed out, Abdullah graciously stepped down.
Did UMNO have a worthy replacement? Yes Najib. Najib? Yes Najib! This would have been our classic Alfred E Neuman moment of “What’s me Worry” if it was just UMNO that was involved. But tragic when the final cost to our country and us is finally accounted for. This Najib is fundamentally flawed.
Already even before he became PM, came the taking of Perak. A classic for the “What not to do” book for future Malaysian Politicians because you are damm if you succeed, damm if you failed. After Perak it was downhill all the way. I will not bore you all with the details but suffice for me to say that the speed with which he was able to make deeper the hole he was already in, was breath taking. Speedy Gonzales would have been proud of Najib – arriva arriva andale andale !!!!
And now Bagan Pinang. ? All that matters to UMNO is “How do we stop the Rot”. How do we stop losing to Pakatan Rakyat?
WE MUST WIN IN BAGAN PINANG !
They are considering Isa Samad as their candidate. Why? Win at all cost. If we are not willing to cheat, then we don’t want to win bad enough.
Has UMNO come to this?
They want so desperately to win this immediate battle unconcern that they will lose the war in the long run? Is there nobody in UMNO moral enough to stand up and say “Not Isa Samad. He has been convicted of corruption”.
Yes I understand that once a man has serve his time he should be given an opportunity to get back into society and earn his keep. I am sorry but he will have to earn his keep somewhere else. Not with me. Would I take an ex convict to work in my garden? No. Would I take him to work in my kitchen? No. What about as my driver? No. And now UMNO is asking the people of Bagan Pinang to accept Isa as their State Assemblyman? The one who is going to be taking care of their area in Parliament? Where is the morality of it all?
Has UMNO really come to this?
Dato Onn, Tunku, Tun Razak, Tun Hussein, Mahathir and Abdullah Badawi will say “NO”. Even Samy Velu will say “NO”…well he did say “NO” to Subramanium!. But Najib is considering it and Najib is desperate enough to say “YES”. The UMNO Warlords of Negri Sembilan say that they have their White Knight for Bagan Pinang. Isa will save us. Isa will start the tsunami to drown PR.
Najib if you believe that and the results proves that you were right – you will still lose. Because for the people of Malaysia you have made the wrong decision again and you will know that you did come the General Elections.
So for Pakatan Rakyat there is no Plan B. Whatever happens in Bagan Pinang, we win!
Isa the confirmed cheat may be the BN’s candidate
Isa is perfect for the BN, ‘cos Isa = ISA
Now, ai yo yo Sami has been tasked by Mooo to deliver all the Indian votes in the Bagan Pinang buy-election
By hook or by crook
Otherwise a garland of slippers will be placed on half-value n his friend S/O Kutty
Why of all people they chose ISA – abbreviation for INTERNAL SECURITY ACT as their candidate for the Bagan Pinang by-election? Is BN trying to remind the people what they will do if they lost?
PR has just to show Chua SL’s hotel room “Tora! Tora! Tora!” movie during the ceramahs in Bagan Pinang and umno will lose.
Of course umno needs a suitably experienced and competent man to carry out the business of money politics. I mean would you send nicol david to the badminton court or choong wei to the football field. Obviously no. I can see the rationale. But something tells me that it could be a disastrous move. Without the postal votes, Bagan is a definite foregone case for umno. The question here is not whether pakatan has done enough to win voters over. To some extent this is relevent. But the real issue here is whether umno has inflicted enough damage upon itself to cause a loss onto itself. Umno has been engaged in self-destructive conducts for some time now. I think this time umno will be defeated in bagan.
Tan Sri Isa Samad was the former Menteri Besar of Negeri Sembilan. His former constituency for State Assembly seat was Linggi, which is neighbouring to Bagan Pinang.
Tan Sri Isa was still influential in Port Dickson because P.D. is his home base. When he served as the MB of Negeri Sembilan, he travelled to and fro PD-Seremban almost every working day. He worked hard on the voter service day, which was fixed by him once a month on Sunday in Pekan Linggi Umno Service Centre.
If Tan Sri Isa is to be selected as the candidate for State Assembly in Bagan Pinang, he stands a high chance to win, taking into consideration that there are a substantial quantity of postal votes which are deemed to be Pro-Barisan Nasional in this constituency.
However, the weakness of Umno is the internal fight among several factions within Negeri Sembilan Umno. Whether Isa Samad will win if he stands as the by-election candidate will all depend on whether the present MB of Negeri Sembilan, Dato Seri Mohamad Hj Hassan, will be successuful in mobilising the support in favour of Isa Samad in view of the conflict of political interests among different factions within Umno.
Pakatan Rakyat leaders should not overlook the winning factors of Isa Samad, even though he had been frequently accused for pocketing a lot of corruption money based on giving out timber concessions and state land grant during his tenure as the MB!
Someone will get ABBA to perform in BP
By popular demand: Money, Money, Money
Isa Samad may own nothing but money! He has gotten whole truck-load of money, in the realm of several 100 million ringgit!
The voters of Bagan Pinang by-election will surely stand to gain this time: a lot of money will be pouring upon their body in order to make them shower in cash notes happily!
It is good time for Pakistani motorbike riding hawkers to market their fashion clothes or ice cream in Bagan Pinang during the by-election campaign period because the cashflow liquidity in Bagan Pinang will significantly improve as a result of money politics! No matter how we hate money politics, there will still someone who likes it!
How true? UMNO can never win in Bagan Pinang. If it wins we win too. We will shout ‘wakil pos’ or ‘ adun pos’. Dia Menang Tipu!!!
If they lose we win. bring on Isa. We will teach him and UMNO how to lose.
Power is fast slipping from Najib’s hand. There are factions within UMNO Baru sneakishly working against Isa who is Najib’s ally.
A defeat for Isa in the up-coming BP by-election will give Najib’s enemies in his own party a good reason to pressure him to step down to save the party from defeat at the hands of PR in the 13th GE.
Najib has got to be on the look-out and be wary of people whose names start with the alphabet ‘M’
How true dap man. Head you lose. Tail I win.
“There are factions within UMNO Baru sneakishly working against Isa who is Najib’s ally.” (Taxidriver)
As far as I know, there is hardly any evidence which really indicates that Isa is Najib’s ally, even though I can 100% sure that Isa is TDM’s best loyal ally! The biggest opposition force against Isa within Negeri Sembilan Umno has always been coming from Rembau-Gadong areas.
Notwithstanding, Isa is an experienced cunning politician. He will quite likely be able to gather much more political support around him if he chooses to kow-tow to Tuanku Muris, who was purportedly being ignored by Isa for a long period of time during Isa’s tenure as the MB. This was because Isa used to openly support the selection of the son of the late Tuanku Jaafar as the successor to the royal throne of Negeri Sembilan!
Isa could play a political magic by pledging his loyalty to Tuanku Muris. The present MB Dato Seri Hj. Mohd Hj. Hassan will be pleased too because Mohd’s wife has the royal blood of Negeri Sembilan royal family! The poltical balance can swing easily in favour of Isa if Isa makes a right move, which I believe Isa is smart enough to know about it.
One more thing to point out here: Isa does not have sex scandal. He married a 18-year old wife at his age of older than 40. Having a young wife to serve him could be a good reason why he was no longer interested in another woman!
PAS candidate is going to face a tough fight in Bagan Pinang this round! Beware of the adverse effect of the soldiers’ votes!
The country is in its crucial phase of transformation and the votes from Bagan Pinang is important in determining the future of the nation, said MCA president OTK
Yeah, right on, Ong
The rakyat heard OTK
PR MUST win in order to have a viable two-party system in Malaysia
Crucial transformation indeed